This series documents Famadihana, Madagascar’s unique ritual of “turning the bones” - i.e. the exhumation and reinhumation of the deceased ancestors' corpses in a new lambamena - silk shroud - every 7 years, in two locations: Ambohidroa Antehiroka, in Antananarivo's 6eme Arrondissement, and Andakandrano village, some 120 km from Antananarivo, at 1600m, in the highlands. During famadihana, or second burial, an event which occurs mainly in August and September, families honor their ancestors with music, dance, and celebration. Rather than mourning, the ceremony is marked by joy: musicians play trumpets, clarinets, violins and mandolins, while crowds gather in song and movement, reaffirming the bond between past and present. The images reflect the deep cultural belief that ancestors are not gone but remain among the living, deserving of renewal and remembrance. In order to choose an auspicious day families consult a mpanandro, which literally means “the one who chooses the day”. The mpanandro is a traditional astrologer who calculates auspicious days for important events—marriages, funerals, famadihana, house building, even travel.
